Breeding Man's Best Friends

Aside from being people’s companions, dogs also work as police dogs, military working dogs, rescue dogs, and service dogs. Service dogs are dogs that are specifically trained to provide assistance to people who have disabilities such as visual impairments, hearing impairments, mental illnesses, seizure disorder, mobility impairment, and diabetes.

Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, German shepherds, and Labrador-golden retriever crosses are the most common breeds trained to become service dogs. These dogs are increasingly bred by dog breeders because of their usefulness. However, this practice is quite debated because of different reasons.

Supporters say that service dogs save lives, so breeding and training them are necessary. There are numerous functions that only dogs can do. Many people with specific needs can live more meaningful lives thanks to service dogs. For example, there are service dogs specifically trained to help people who have autism stay focused, calm, and stable.

Furthermore, according to supporters, breeding ensures that the dogs that are bred are carefully selected. Breeders can strengthen the characteristics that make certain breeds valuable. They can also weaken traits that are not that desirable.

Finally, dog breeders ensure that their puppies are free of disease. On the contrary, the health of dogs that are kept in animal shelters are not always guaranteed. Aside from being abandoned, many of these dogs were also abused by previous owners. As a result, these dogs often end up having behavioral problems that make them difficult to train.

Opponents say that no matter how noble or great the purpose is, people should not breed animals for their own gain. Breeding animals for human gain is a practice that should be frowned upon because it is unethical. It promotes animal cruelty and only increases the number of unwanted dogs.

They add that when a dog gives birth, it does not only give birth to one puppy. Finding homes for all the puppies of a litter is always a big problem. Also, there is no guarantee that the desirable traits of a particular dog will be passed down to the puppies. Puppies are not always identical to their parents in terms of behavior and personality.

Finally, instead of dog breeding, supporters promote the “Adopt, don’t shop!” practice. They say that people who are in need of service dogs should approach animal shelters instead of buying service dogs from dog breeders. Specific breeds that make good service dogs can be adopted from these shelters and trained as service dogs.

Summary

Service dogs are very common these days because of their usefulness to people with disabilities. There are certain breeds that are increasingly bred by dog breeders because of their usefulness as service dogs. What can you say about this?